Making the classifieds a safer environment....

I'm unsure if I have a right to say this being relatively new at PFM (a year or so) but wouldn't it be a far safer place for all if there was a restriction on the classifieds room, ie, make 20-30 or so posts and you 'unlock' the ability to offer items for sale to the PFM public?

I understand this may be complicated to police but could eradicate the dishonest folk out there.

Without a doubt the vast majority of sales in the classifieds are genuine and go without a hitch, but it's a shame when the few that go wrong cause so much grief.

Also, making the huge 'good guys' thread into a 'good guys' alphabetical list may make it easier for folk to see who they actually are?

This has been debated to death on here in the aftermath of Wigwamgate - the consensus was to leave the classified as they are and not impose any measures to restrict trade/availability. I am in favour of this, however I can see the downfalls. Whilst there have been a number (and I must comment, an exceptionally small number for a public forum) of problems, more often than not these sort themselves out. I think Caveat Emptor is the name of the game in any 'classified' type situation, and this must rank as one of the most trustworthy places to buy and sell audio equipment on the net.

I would think that 20 to 30 posts is not much of a obstacle to a thief on a mission.

On your second point about the 'Good Guys" thread I thought, when it was started , that it would rapidly become of little or no use the bigger/longer it got. If anything the feedback should be a score next to someones name. Even then it would mainly indicate who was merely trading a lot on here and tell you nothing about who ( amongst those who have only traded a very few times ) was honest.

I think that Caveat Emptor is right ... and unsticky the unwieldy Good Guys thread.

If you are a good seller and have been recommended on the "good guys" forum then quote the thread number/s....... Also what i have been seeing is verbal affirmation from other members with history when an item is offered for sale. If you have no history maybe a letter from your bank manager doctor

I disagree. It's not difficult to click on the 'Good Guys' thread, then click on the 'Search This Thread' link and type in the user name of the person that you are thinking of buying from, and finally looking at the search results.

I have done this with my own username, it took seconds and it came straight up with some positive feedback from 0rangutan

Tony L has asked me to post up details of a scam perpetuated on AVF so please take note.

A group of scammers monitor classifieds for agreed sales & offers. They then register a new account with a name virtually identical to the seller, say with the addition of a full stop. The buyer then receives a PM with "payment details", or apparently accepting a previously rejected offer. You need your wits about you to notice it's a new account if your expecting the PM anyway following an agreed deal & it's all to easy to go ahead & pay without giving it a second thought.

I disagree. It's not difficult to click on the 'Good Guys' thread, then click on the 'Search This Thread' link and type in the user name of the person that you are thinking of buying from, and finally looking at the search results.

I have done this with my own username, it took seconds and it came straight up with some positive feedback from 0rangutan

I disagree. It's not difficult to click on the 'Good Guys' thread, then click on the 'Search This Thread' link and type in the user name of the person that you are thinking of buying from, and finally looking at the search results.

I have done this with my own username, it took seconds and it came straight up with some positive feedback from 0rangutan

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You're right, it is not difficult to search the 'good guys' thread for a name, although I have tried searching for my own G&JM and it comes up "Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms." even though it is there (#135) thanks to misterc6.

You're right, it is not difficult to search the 'good guys' thread for a name, although I have tried searching for my own G&JM and it comes up "Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms." even though it is there (#135) thanks to misterc6.

Ant

Click to expand...

That's because you've used ampersand in you username which is excluded from search.

There is a workaround for the search issue. If you use the archived version of the 'Good Guys' thread located here, you can search the page for any word or phrase. Pressing Ctrl+F in Windows (Command+F on a Mac) while browsing will bring up a search bar. When you type a word or phrase in the search bar, the browser will automatically find that text on the current web page.